EU chief diplomat:

“Hunger is being used as a weapon in Gaza”

A malnourished baby is nursed up in a clinic in Rafah.(Bild: APA/AFP/MOHAMMED ABED)

In a speech to the UN Security Council, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell strongly criticized the blockade of aid supplies to the Gaza Strip. "Hunger is being used as a weapon of war", explained Borrell, without, however, mentioning Israel by name.

Aid by sea or air is only an alternative to the natural routes by land - but these are "artificially closed", said the 76-year-old. Borrell was speaking at a meeting on cooperation between the UN and the EU in New York.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell(Bild: APA/AFP/JOHN THYS)

Hundreds of thousands of people in the Gaza Strip are acutely threatened by famine as a result of the war. According to the World Food Program, deliveries to some parts of the region are hardly possible. Aid workers are also being obstructed and convoys looted.

Israel refutes accusations
Israel defended itself against criticism of the catastrophic supply situation. Since the beginning of the war, more than 16,000 trucks have entered the Gaza Strip and only 1.5 percent have not been admitted, the Israeli Cogat authority responsible for contacts with the Palestinians and humanitarian aid wrote on X on Tuesday.

Ship with 200 tons of aid launched from Cyprus
Meanwhile, the first ship carrying aid supplies to be delivered to the war-torn Palestinians in the Gaza Strip via a new sea corridor has set sail from Cyprus. The Open Arms has loaded 200 tons of relief supplies - mainly flour, rice and protein products. 

Experts estimate that the journey to the destination could take 48 to 60 hours. It is not yet entirely clear where and how the ship will unload its cargo once it arrives in the waters off the coast of the Gaza Strip. Delivering the goods is considered a major challenge because there is only a small fishing port that is not deep enough for cargo ships. The US military therefore wants to set up a temporary port together with international partners, although the US says it will take two months to build.